McGrath's wiles help Australia rule world

Although Australia prevailed convincingly, their performance was far from perfect. Several straightforward catches were dropped and the middle order fell apart like an ancient manuscript. Whereas England were able to exploit these weaknesses, Shaun Pollock's side lacked the required consistency and tenacity. The Rest of the World tried hard but the pacemen bowled too short and a galaxy of batsmen failed to adjust to conditions.

Apart from the middle-order batting and butter-fingered fielding, Australia looked a fresher, better organised side than during the recent unmentionable defeat overseas. Thanks to doughty contributions from unsung heroes, they were able to reach a respectable total.

Glenn McGrath and company did the rest. McGrath's opening spell was niggardly. He kept an unrelentingly full length, a tactic whose wisdom eluded his counterparts. His accuracy was too much for under-prepared opponents pursuing boundaries on a holding surface. Brett Lee was lively with the white ball, Nathan Bracken swung it around with little luck and Shane Watson pounded them down at pace. Australia's immediate future has been mapped out. Ricky Ponting kept a grip on proceedings. In short, the hosts resembled their old selves.

Adam Gilchrist gave the Australian innings a bright start with some crisp backfoot shots. Spared an encounter with his Lancastrian nemesis until he was set, the gloveman pulled with a regularity associated with aficionados of one-arm bandits. He played with a vitality missing from his game and Australia's cricket in what locals are pleased to call "the old dart".

In recent times, the arrival at the bowling crease of Andrew Flintoff has caused Gilchrist to poke around like an old woman searching for twigs in snow. Here the powerful pace bowler sent down several searing deliveries and for a few overs his adversary looked uncomfortable. After a while, though, Flintoff ran out of steam and the thought did occur that his lifelong commitment to abstinence may have wavered over the last few weeks. Had he not been dropped on the boundary early in his innings, he would have had a miserable match. Shoaib Akhtar was not much better. Although he had plenty of time to rest on his long walk back to his mark, he also flagged after half an hour.

Until their middle order suffered another bout of hiccups, the Australians looked likely to muster a sizeable score.Ponting played some canny strokes before embarking upon a misadventure down the pitch. Damien Martyn promptly added to his own woes by lamely lobbing a catch to mid-on. He batted magnificently in 2004 but currently looks a lost soul.

Nor could Simon Katich or Michael Clarke stem the tide as the visitors tightened their game. Muttiah Muralitharan and Daniel Vettori broke the back of the innings. Murali pushed the ball through flat, turned it sharply and smiled through the early heckling. The Kiwi produced numerous small variations on his theme. In many ways, Vettori was the least remarkable cricketer on display. He also took most of the wickets. Funny old game. It's not the packaging that counts.

Once the spinners had completed their allocation, the Australians were able to build momentum. Andrew Symonds and Michael Hussey have as much in common as the jackass and the buck. Often though, the hunter and the collector can be effective in tandem.

Chasing the host's total, the Rest of the World could make little headway against mean bowling. Virender Sehwag pulled to a precisely placed midwicket, whereupon Jacques Kallis shuffled across his stumps. Throughout, both umpires disdained the opportunity to refer leg before appeals to the third umpire, an opportunity created by this match's experimental rules. They saved time and did not make any mistakes. Only one appeal, for caught behind, was sent for scrutiny, and then the evidence proved insufficient.

Brian Lara drove airily to cover; Kevin Pietersen played across the line; Kumar Sangakarra's luck eventually ran out; Shahid Afridi played another horrible stroke and the remainder went quietly.

Debate about the value of the matches will continue. Pitting the contemporary giants of the game against the most formidable team around was, though, worthwhile. Of course, the timing was awry. Paris, not Melbourne, is the place to be in spring. When, though, in any sport has so much talent been seen on a single field? Sadly, Sachin Tendulkar was missing for the prospect of him batting alongside Lara must have stirred the imagination.